Sportsmanship in SPORTS?

[Tom Bottiglieri]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/sp...&oref=slo gin

This is the kind of stuff we do every day in FIRST. We are starting to push into the 'real' world! Hopefully one day something like this won't be special enough to receive an article in the NY Times.

[JaneYoung]

Reading this article would make an excellent homework assignment for everyone involved in sports and competitions.

Thanks for the thread, Tom, great way to start the day.

[EmptyNerd]

I only wish this was the norm in sports - and not the exception.... Having been involved in sports all my life, I've seen a lot of the "norm". Being a coach, I've always tried to teach the sportmanship angle, but in this day and age of "winning at all costs", it sometimes wasn't easy. I was truly impressed by the "sportsmanship" or GP, (call it whatever you want) that I witnessed during during our first year in FIRST with 2337 - from our students and mentors as well as those of the all the other teams. It started at Kettering and continued through all the regionals and into the Championships. We need to keep sending and demonstrating this message and maybe, just maybe, it'll eventually get to the rest of the world.

I agree with Jane; this would be a great read for all students involved in any competition.

Kudo's to the Central Washington girls, kudo's to all the FIRST members would continue to demonstrate GP, and, kudo's to the mentors who preach GP day in and day out. Keep it up - you can all be proud.

[Pavan Dave]

Originally Posted by Tom Bottiglieri

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/sp...&oref=slo gin

This is the kind of stuff we do every day in FIRST. We are starting to push into the 'real' world! Hopefully one day something like this won't be special enough to receive an article in the NY Times.

Sorry to "burst" your bubble, bot being a good sport and doing the right thing have been around since wayyyyy before FIRST was even thought of. I can pretty much garuntee that it has been alive before Asimov and even the concept of a robot.

Pavan


.

[Tom Bottiglieri]

Originally Posted by Pavan Dave

I can pretty much garuntee that it has been alive before Asimov and even the concept of a robot.

And I can guarantee that this was just a motivational post, originally in chit chat, later moved.

We're all so used to working and living in our "GP" world, and its nice to see stories of similar situations in the "real" world. Gives some meaning to what we're trying to do here, eh?

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Tom Bottiglieri

And I can guarantee that this was just a motivational post, originally in chit chat, later moved.

Tom,
I asked that this be moved from Chit Chat into General. It was my hope that folks would have more access to it in General. Many of our members don't read Chit Chat. It is a worthy article.

[Spider-Man]

Originally Posted by Pavan Dave

Sorry to "burst" your bubble, bot being a good sport and doing the right thing have been around since wayyyyy before FIRST was even thought of. I can pretty much garuntee that it has been alive before Asimov and even the concept of a robot.

Pavan


.

That's definitely true. I have found there to be great sportsmanship in the sport of curling. Other than being insanely fun and challenging, it encourages an atmosphere of fairness.

I believe this attitude to be not as uncommon as people think when it comes to certain nonprofessional sports; whereas, politics and the big business sports and their feeder programs have nurtured a me-first, we-second, you-last mentality.

At least in the US, what do you see on TV or in movies more? Curling or Basketball?

Stories like this are encouraging that not all is lost in major collegiate athletics. I hope that our rising stars in the program can spread the social message of FIRST throughout the other sports.

Good Game.

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Spider-Man

At least in the US, what do you see on TV or in movies more? Curling or Basketball?

In my house, curling. (Martin vs. Howard in the Player's? How cool was that?)

You see good sportsmanship pretty much in inverse relationship to the amount of money involved.

[wilsonmw04]

Originally Posted by Rick TYler

You see good sportsmanship pretty much in inverse relationship to the amount of money involved.

Isn't that a sad state of affairs?

[Brandon Holley]

saw this on sportscenter...if you go to espn.com you can check out a video they put together about the whole event...gotta love the GP

[Dancin103]

It's an awesome story and great to see that even opponents can work together. They did what was right and what they did came from their hearts.

Cass

Haha...this is my 103rd post.